# Fame.am profile — machine-readable export
# Canonical URL: https://fame.am/person/modu-chanyu
# Generated: 2026-08-13T10:31:05.322Z

schema: https://schema.org/Person
url: "https://fame.am/person/modu-chanyu"
name: "Modu Chanyu"
slug: "modu-chanyu"
description: "He took power by having his father killed, then built the Xiongnu into an empire large enough to force Han China into paying tribute rather than risk another war."
tagline: "Chanyu of the Xiongnu Empire from 209 to 174 BCE"
gender: "male"
birthDate: "-234"
deathDate: "-174"
livingStatus: "DECEASED"
scores:
  popularity:           56.38
  momentum:             0.637043966323667
  historical:           23.35204533333334
  currentAttention:     0
  sourceConfidence:     60
  profileCompleteness:  25
  trendDirection:       "STABLE"
ranks:
  global:   null
  country:  null
  category: null
tags:
  - name: "Politicians"
    slug: "politicians"
  - name: "Politician"
    slug: "politician"
  - name: "Politics"
    slug: "politics"
  - name: "Ancient History"
    slug: "ancient-history"
sources:
  - url: "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Modu_Chanyu"
    title: "Wikipedia"
    type:  "WIKIPEDIA"
  - url: "https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q382816"
    title: "Wikidata"
    type:  "WIKIDATA"
  - url: "https://pantheon.world/profile/person/Modu%20Chanyu"
    title: "Pantheon 2.0"
    type:  "DATABASE"
  - url: "https://azb.wikipedia.org/wiki/%D9%85%D9%88%D8%AF%D9%88_%DA%86%D8%A7%D9%86%DB%8C%D9%88"
    title: "مودو چانیو"
    type:  "WIKIPEDIA"
  - url: "https://az.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mete_xaqan"
    title: "Mete xaqan"
    type:  "WIKIPEDIA"
  - url: "https://bg.wikipedia.org/wiki/%D0%9C%D0%B0%D0%BE%D0%B4%D1%83%D0%BD"
    title: "Маодун"
    type:  "WIKIPEDIA"
  - url: "https://cv.wikipedia.org/wiki/%D0%9C%D0%BE%D1%82%D0%B5"
    title: "Моте"
    type:  "WIKIPEDIA"
  - url: "https://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mao-tun"
    title: "Mao-tun"
    type:  "WIKIPEDIA"
  - url: "https://el.wikipedia.org/wiki/%CE%9C%CE%B1%CE%BD%CF%84%CE%BF%CF%8D_%CE%A3%CE%B1%CE%BD%CE%B3%CE%B9%CE%BF%CF%8D"
    title: "Μαντού Σανγιού"
    type:  "WIKIPEDIA"
  - url: "https://eo.wikipedia.org/wiki/Modu_%C4%88anju"
    title: "Modu Ĉanju"
    type:  "WIKIPEDIA"
  - url: "https://es.wikipedia.org/wiki/Modun"
    title: "Modun"
    type:  "WIKIPEDIA"
  - url: "https://fa.wikipedia.org/wiki/%D9%85%D9%88%D8%AF%D9%88_%DA%86%D8%A7%D9%86%DB%8C%D9%88"
    title: "مودو چانیو"
    type:  "WIKIPEDIA"
  - url: "https://fr.wikipedia.org/wiki/Modu_Chanyu"
    title: "Modu Chanyu"
    type:  "WIKIPEDIA"
  - url: "https://hi.wikipedia.org/wiki/%E0%A4%AE%E0%A5%8B%E0%A4%A6%E0%A5%82_%E0%A4%9A%E0%A4%BE%E0%A4%A8%E0%A4%AF%E0%A5%82"
    title: "मोदू चानयू"
    type:  "WIKIPEDIA"
  - url: "https://hu.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mao-tun"
    title: "Mao-tun"
    type:  "WIKIPEDIA"
  - url: "https://id.wikipedia.org/wiki/Modu_Chanyu"
    title: "Modu Chanyu"
    type:  "WIKIPEDIA"
  - url: "https://ja.wikipedia.org/wiki/%E5%86%92%E9%A0%93%E5%8D%98%E4%BA%8E"
    title: "冒頓単于"
    type:  "WIKIPEDIA"
  - url: "https://ka.wikipedia.org/wiki/%E1%83%9B%E1%83%9D%E1%83%93%E1%83%A3"
    title: "მოდუ"
    type:  "WIKIPEDIA"
  - url: "https://kk.wikipedia.org/wiki/%D0%9C%D3%A9%D0%B4%D0%B5_%D2%9B%D0%B0%D2%93%D0%B0%D0%BD"
    title: "Мөде қаған"
    type:  "WIKIPEDIA"
  - url: "https://ko.wikipedia.org/wiki/%EB%AC%B5%EB%8F%8C%EC%84%A0%EC%9A%B0"
    title: "묵돌선우"
    type:  "WIKIPEDIA"
  - url: "https://ky.wikipedia.org/wiki/%D0%9C%D0%BE%D0%B4%D1%8D_%D0%A8%D0%B0%D0%BD%D2%AF%D0%B9_(%D0%9C%D0%BE%D0%B4%D1%8D)"
    title: "Модэ Шанүй (Модэ)"
    type:  "WIKIPEDIA"
  - url: "https://mn.wikipedia.org/wiki/%D0%9C%D0%BE%D0%B4%D1%83%D0%BD_%D1%88%D0%B0%D0%BD%D1%8C%D1%8E%D0%B9"
    title: "Модун шаньюй"
    type:  "WIKIPEDIA"
  - url: "https://nl.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mao_Dun_(heerser)"
    title: "Mao Dun (heerser)"
    type:  "WIKIPEDIA"
  - url: "https://no.wikipedia.org/wiki/Modu_Chanyu"
    title: "Modu Chanyu"
    type:  "WIKIPEDIA"
  - url: "https://pt.wikipedia.org/wiki/Modu"
    title: "Modu"
    type:  "WIKIPEDIA"
  - url: "https://az.wikiquote.org/wiki/Mete_xan"
    title: "Wikiquote"
    type:  "WEBSITE"
  - url: "https://tr.wikiquote.org/wiki/Mete_Han"
    title: "Wikiquote"
    type:  "WEBSITE"
  - url: "https://ar.wikipedia.org/wiki/%D9%85%D9%88%D8%AF%D9%88_%D8%B4%D8%A7%D9%86%D9%8A%D9%88"
    title: "مودو شانيو"
    type:  "WIKIPEDIA"
  - url: "https://arz.wikipedia.org/wiki/%D9%85%D9%88%D8%AF%D9%88_%D8%B4%D8%A7%D9%86%D9%8A%D9%88"
    title: "مودو شانيو"
    type:  "WIKIPEDIA"

# bio (long form, separated for readability)
bio: |
  Modu was born around 234 BCE, son of Touman, a military leader among the Xiongnu on the Mongolian Plateau. In 209 BCE he ordered his men to kill his father and seized the throne as chanyu. The timing favored him: Qin forces under Meng Tian had taken Xiongnu pasture lands in 215 BCE, pressuring the tribes toward unity, and then the Qin emperor died in 210 BCE, leaving China in disarray. Modu centralized Xiongnu power and pushed the borders out — east to the Liao River, west to the Pamir Mountains, north to Lake Baikal — creating one of the largest empires of the era. His raids into China extracted an annual tribute of silk, grain, and rice. He ruled until 174 BCE and was succeeded by his son Laoshang.